The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced the India A squad for the upcoming tour of England, where the team will play two first-class matches against the England Lions at Canterbury and Northampton.
Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran has been named as the captain of the India A side and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will be his deputy. Apart from Jurel, Ishan Kishan is the other wicketkeeper-batter in the squad.
The 18-member squad also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shardul Thakur, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Karun Nair. The 33-year-old Nair has made a comeback after his sensational form in domestic cricket.
With 863 runs in 9 matches, Nair was the second-highest run-getter for Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha in 2024-25. He also represented Northamptonshire in county cricket in 2023 and 2024, scoring 736 runs in ten games at an average of 56.61.
Meanwhile, the likes of Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan,, will join the squad ahead of the second match.
The Indian squad has many fast-bowling options. Apart from Shardul, it includes Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande and allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. On the other hand, the likes of Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey and Tanush Kotian give spin-bowling options.
India’s A first-class game against England A begins on May 30 in Canterbury, with the second starting on June 6 in Northampton. After playing against England A, the India A side will also face the senior India side in a four-day fixture from June 13.
India A Squad:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (vice-capt & wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande and Harsh Dubey
